Fall color, finally—but I had to travel to British Columbia to find it

In the Sacramento Valley, daytime temperatures are still well into the 70s. There's a sense of fall in the air, but fall itself seems determined to keep us waiting. And rain? Let's not even talk about rain, or the lack thereof.

850 miles north of Davis, things are quite different. Stepping off the plane in Victoria, British Columbia where we're visiting daughter #1, was confirmation: Here they really are smack in the middle of fall. Temperatures are in the low 50's, not in the high 70's, it rained last night, and there is fall color!

Apparently we missed the fall color peak by a couple of weeks, but I wouldn't have known that walking through Finnerty Gardens, the botanical garden on the campus of the University of Victoria. It was like being inside a coffee table photography book: one beautiful sight after another. You cannot help but feel good about the world in an environment like that. 

Here are my favorite photos from yesterday's outing.

Acer palmatum 'Nuresagi'

Rhododendron fictolacteum. No fall color (it's evergreen) but the bronze-colored undersides of the leaves look like autumn foliage.

Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra)

Paperbark maple (Acer griseum)

Paperbark maple (Acer griseum)

Dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Gold Rush') and Gingko biloba

Dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Gold Rush')

Gingko biloba

One of several anemones we saw

Out of all the sights, this was my favorite

I'm terrible at fern identification, but I liked the subtle color changes as this fern is getting ready to go dormant

Unlabeled Hydrangea

Mahonia 'Charity'

One of many fuchsias in full flower

Another hydrangea

Magnolia kobus var. borealis

Sasa veitchii in the foreground. At first glance the leaves look variegated, but the effect actually comes from the dried leaf margins.

The University of Victoria Walking Tour brochure says this is giant timber bamboo (Bambusa oldhamii), but I dispute that. This is clearly a running bamboo, most likely Phyllostachys bambusoides.

It's strikingly beautiful at any time of year, but combined with the maple on the far side, it's a magical sight.

Speaking of magical...

I like to think that I could happily live in a place without distinct seasons, but when I see sights like these, I'm not sure. The temperatures that come with fall, now that's something else altogether. I would definitely not miss the cold!


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